Some people are fans of Pie Five on Washington and Pennsylvania closed recently. I know people really liked it and looked forward to dining there. I never got around to it. Well anyway, they're gone now and a Five Guys is opening up. So if you like a good Five Guys burger, there's gonna be one conveniently downtown when you get here for the convention.

In-n-Out has been in DFW for a few years and I am not impressed and neither are many of my friends. Maybe it is different in California where it has a cult following. The burgers are good, but the fries are terrible! Even with the "animal style" and all, their fries are just plain horrible...

I prefer Sonic, Whataburger, Smashburger, or Mooyah, but I do not know how wide spread the last two are and the first two are mainly in southern states.

I went to In and Out a couple years ago when I was out in California on a cross country trip. Didn't really like it. Burgers and fries both just seemed average.

They have at least one Sonic that I know of near Indianapolis. It's nowhere near the convention center or downtown area. It's in Greenwood, right off I-65 at the County Line Road exit. I'm in that area twice a week, but Sonic is always closed that time of day.

A quick search shows the nearest Mooyah in Joliet, Illinois and the nearest Smashburger on the campus at Notre Dame and the nearest Whataburger would be around Tulsa, Oklahoma. So those haven't made it to Indianapolis yet...they are tasty burgers.

I like to try regional chains as well when we are on the road to Indy and other places. Is there one that I should hit up while driving this year?

I have done White Castle, Culvers (we have a few in Texas), Hardees/Carls Jr (not impressed), and maybe a few others like Shake Shack, etc.

Are there anymore MUST go to restaurants in Missouri/Illinois/Indiana that we should try on the way going or returning?

 hendelbolaf wrote:Are there anymore MUST go to restaurants in Missouri/Illinois/Indiana that we should try on the way going or returning?

Not sure what route you're taking, but if you're on I55 through Missouri going by Sikeston there's a place called Lambert's Cafe that I think is worth a stop if you're near a meal time. It's generally southern home cooking style food, but the atmosphere/experience is amusing (the servers will toss you rolls from across the building and some other things you wouldn't expect). Cafe is perhaps a bit misleading, the place is quite large for a restaurant, but still tends to have lines out the door of people waiting to get in.

The furthest east In n' Out goes is Texas. I don't think their burgers are great, but I do like that I can get them with no bun (protein style) without a fuss- get a box of those with no ketchup or fries and it's about the cheapest low carb meal you can get without resorting to yet another crappy fast food salad. Sadly though, my favorite regional fast food chain -Tudor's Biscuit World- goes no further west than Ohio. :( Can't really think of any specifically fast food places you might encounter that are worth noting if you're coming from TX --> IN that you haven't been to already. If we're talking burgers, my favorite chain (all four locations) is Kuma's Corner, and the Indy location is a couple miles away from the Convention Center- however, it's a full-service restaurant with giant burgers, so def not fast-food prices.

 hendelbolaf wrote:In-n-Out has been in DFW for a few years and I am not impressed and neither are many of my friends. Maybe it is different in California where it has a cult following. The burgers are good, but the fries are terrible! Even with the "animal style" and all, their fries are just plain horrible...
I prefer Sonic, Whataburger, Smashburger, or Mooyah, but I do not know how wide spread the last two are and the first two are mainly in southern states.
I do like Pie Five, so that will be missed!

The fries are different. But better than 5 Guys by far!

Never had Whataburger or Mooyah (not in my area). Sonic's are ok. The best in my area is from a chain called Runza.

I grow up in California and moved to Nebraska in 2000. When I went back to San Francisco for a honeymoon cruise in 2012, we spent 2 days in the city before boarding. In those 2 days, we eat 3 times at In-n-Out!

My wife said she was not impressed. I didn't care. I was in heaven!!! Double Double or Four By Four for me!!

 hendelbolaf wrote:In-n-Out has been in DFW for a few years and I am not impressed and neither are many of my friends. Maybe it is different in California where it has a cult following. The burgers are good, but the fries are terrible! Even with the "animal style" and all, their fries are just plain horrible...
I prefer Sonic, Whataburger, Smashburger, or Mooyah, but I do not know how wide spread the last two are and the first two are mainly in southern states.
I do like Pie Five, so that will be missed!

The fries are different. But better than 5 Guys by far!Never had Whataburger or Mooyah (not in my area). Sonic's are ok. The best in my area is from a chain called Runza.
There were two Pie Fives in my area and one has already closed.
I did enjoy it the one time I went there.

Five Guys regular fries aren't that great. Cajun style is the way to go!

I think Pie Five as a franchise may be having issues. We lost ours a few months ago.

 gyromancer wrote: Five Guys regular fries aren't that great. Cajun style is the way to go!I think Pie Five as a franchise may be having issues. We lost ours a few months ago.

But you get so many of them... I have this hypothesis that small, medium, and large fries are all actually the same quantity. I would need to get a scale to verify this, which I have not gotten around to doing.